Another childhood memory meets the wrecking ball.

VINMAN · 02:56 PM

One more old time place meets its fate..
I'm sure this will be familiar to our east coast pelicans.
Stopping there on all those road trips down to Florida whe I wS young. (Even though I still pass it # of times a year.

Back then it was great. When I got older you realize how cheezy the place was.

Eric Hahl · Eric Hahl's Garage

I remember that place from my early childhood family trips.

LEAKYSEALS951 · 03:06 PM

Wow.

I remember all the I-95 billboard signs counting down the miles to South of the Border. For a bored kid in a car on 6-8 hour trip, the anticipation was unreal.

South of the border was the gateway. The beaches weren't that far away!

My dad would always stock up on Fireworks(on the way back), putting on the most spectacular shows for the neighbors over the neighborhood lake. Smuggling all that into Virginia where you couldn't buy quality fireworks, they weren't so much fireworks, as mortar rounds. Such is the life of a suburban outlaw.

rfuerst911sc · 10-25-2021, 03:00 PM

Have driven by that place so many times over the years . It was a little hokey but fun in it's own way . Anyone know if anything is planned to replace it ?

Seahawk · 10-25-2021, 03:02 PM

Chili Today, Hot Tamale!

mocha07 · 10-25-2021, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rfuerst911sc

Have driven by that place so many times over the years . It was a little hokey but fun in it's own way . Anyone know if anything is planned to replace it ?

News paper quoted;Renovating and upgrading the attractions.

pwd72s · 10-25-2021, 03:18 PM

The older you get, the more this happens. Having lived in this small area most of our lives, we use landmarks over street names to navigate. Often saying thing like: "Where Ray's 76 Union station was"...

The landmarks may change, but the locations don't.

beatnavy · beatnavy's Garage

Oh man, South of the Border is a fixture on I-95. Several times our family would use the kids' spring break to drive all night from Northern VA to the Florida Keys for scuba diving trips. I vividly remember seeing the signs miles beforehand and those things would sometimes be the only thing keeping me awake (oh, and maybe an energy drink) as I drove by at 2:30 am.

South of the Border: You never Sausage a place!

That one was my favorite.

Tishabet · 10-25-2021, 03:27 PM

Never visited it myself, but have many childhood memories of the billboards and especially the bumper stickers. Adios.

VINMAN · 10-25-2021, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mocha07

News paper quoted;Renovating and upgrading the attractions.

The last time I actually stopped in there 3 yrs ago. The place was disturbingly creepy. Was like a ghost town. Shelves in shops were bare. One or two people in the restaurants..

.

flatbutt · 10-25-2021, 03:54 PM

Me too. We'd always hit those on the way to Jacksonville to visit family.

Racerbvd · Racerbvd's Garage

Wow, bummer, like others here, the count down helped pass the time on family vacations.

VINMAN · 10-25-2021, 04:24 PM

Rot 911 · 10-25-2021, 04:26 PM

I remember seeing those signs when a group of us would go from Fort Bragg down to Myrtle Beach back in the 70s.

911boost · 911boost's Garage

We made a cannon ball run there one time from NOVA to load up on Fireworks when I was in maybe 9th grade. An older guy drove and we made money on the deal selling a lot of what we bought for WAY more than we paid.

I just say the signs in July in NC when we drove south to the beach.

That is a shame to see it torn down, but maybe it will bring the folks back in if its renovated.

Esel Mann · 10-25-2021, 04:40 PM

Is it gone for good or demo'd to steve austin it ( bigger better stronger faster)???

Now where am i going to go for rubber dog **** and bumper stickers everyone hates on their bumper???

masraum · 10-25-2021, 04:51 PM

Wow, yeah. I remember South of the Border. We never stopped, but I've ridden and driven past it a few times.

drcoastline · 10-25-2021, 04:52 PM

WOW- always looked forward to stopping in as a kid. I agree with Vinny though. It was a bit creepy the last time I stopped.

Still going to mis it.

masraum · 10-25-2021, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pwd72s

The older you get, the more this happens. Having lived in this small area most of our lives, we use landmarks over street names to navigate. Often saying thing like: "Where Ray's 76 Union station was"...

The landmarks may change, but the locations don't.

I've often wondered what it would be like to have lived a "normal" life like that. But if someone offered me that option at the snap of their fingers, I'd keep what I had. Starting when I was 4 or 5, we started moving around. I seemed to have been more fortunate than some military brats in that most of the time we were in one place for 2-3.5 years. I didn't really start to "put down roots" until I moved to Houston. The first half of my life was moving every 3 years or so. The second half so far has been pretty stable by comparison.

Still, even if I don't have a home and my relatives have all moved to other cities, my first "home" will always be FL, at least in spirit.

Baz · Baz's Garage

Spent a night there on the way to visit my oldest brother in Virginia.

It was during the 1993 Chicago Bulls championship (first 3-peat) season and that night they played Game 6 against the Knicks and won the championship.

I watched it on TV at South of the Border.